


Thirty Years On: The Man Behind the Mystery

by Glisseo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, This is ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 19:10:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10770606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glisseo/pseuds/Glisseo
Summary: Tabitha beamed. “I wanted to run an idea by you. We were thinking, you see. It’s coming up to the end of October, which means the anniversary of your first defeat of You-Know-Who. Thirty years! So we thought it’d be great to have a whole feature on, you know – your life now. The Boy Who Lived – Thirty Years On. No Longer a Boy …” She was leaning forwards now, tone hushed, fingers wiggling to emphasise the supposed enthrall of this title. “We’ll interview you, ask you all about how things have changed for you – and we were thinking we’d go to Godric’s Hollow, where it happened, to do it –”Harry blinked. “You want to go to the scene of my parents’ death to ask me about my life?”“It adds an emotional dimension, you see,” explained Tabitha, apparently without irony.“There is already a fairly emotional dimension for me,” said Harry. “You know, since they died and everything.”





	Thirty Years On: The Man Behind the Mystery

“Sir? Sorry to interrupt, but there’s someone to see you.”  
  
Cornelia’s usually brisk tone was hesitant, which didn’t bode well, Harry thought. He looked up and saw her pulling an apologetic face, something he didn’t often see on his highly organised and efficient administrator. His spirits, never at dizzying heights on a Monday morning, sunk slightly. He did receive visitors fairly often, but if it was Kingsley, or Hermione, or even Ginny, then Cornelia would have said so, and the look on her face told him quite plainly that he was not going to like this particular visit.   
  
“Fine,” he said reluctantly, flicking his wand to shift the pile of folders stacked precariously on the chair in front of his desk. “But, er, if it looks like a long one -”  
  
“I’ll make sure to remind you of your eleven o’clock meeting with the Minister, sir, don’t worry,” said Cornelia, with an almost imperceptible wink.   
  
“You’re a star,” said Harry with feeling. “All right, send them in, then – if you have to …”  
  
His first thought, upon setting eyes on his visitor, was that his reluctance was entirely justified. His second was that he shouldn’t judge on looks alone, and this witch – young, glossy haired, elegant in embroidered purple robes – might have something very important to discuss with him.   
  
His third, moments later, was that he should trust his instincts. 

“Mr Potter, thanks ever so much for meeting with me, I know you must be very busy. May I -?” She sat down without waiting for an answer. “Ooh, love the décor,” she added brightly, looking around at the grey walls plastered with maps, pictures and scribbled notes.   
  
“Thanks,” said Harry, slightly nonplussed by the speed and vivacity with which she spoke, and by her hair, which really was very shiny. “Er – who are you?”  
  
“Tabitha Twitchett.  _Daily Prophet_.”  
  
“ _Ah_ ,” said Harry. He regarded her with fresh suspicion. “And you’re here because …”  
  
Tabitha beamed. “I wanted to run an idea by you. We were thinking, you see. It’s coming up to the end of October, which means the anniversary of your first defeat of You-Know-Who. Thirty years! So we thought it’d be great to have a whole feature on, you know – your life now.  _The Boy Who Lived – Thirty Years On. No Longer a Boy …”_ She was leaning forwards now, tone hushed, fingers wiggling to emphasise the supposed enthrall of this title. “We’ll interview you, ask you all about how things have changed for you – and we were thinking we’d go to Godric’s Hollow, where it happened, to do it –”  
  
Harry blinked. “You want to go to the scene of my parents’ death to ask me about my life?”  
  
“It adds an emotional dimension, you see,” explained Tabitha, apparently without irony.  
  
“There is already a fairly emotional dimension for me,” said Harry. “You know, since they died and everything.”  
  
Tabitha’s dazzling smile faltered slightly. “You’re on the fence. OK, I get that. Just let me –”

“No, I’m not on the fence,” Harry interrupted crossly. “I’m not on the fence at all. It’s not happening.”  
  
“Riiiiight,” said Tabitha, looking thoughtful. “So, you need more time to think about it …”  
  
“It’s  _not happening_.”   
  
Harry stood up. A flash of fear crossed Tabitha’s face, which made him feel bad, as he suddenly remembered that he was actually quite tall, and had a bit of a scary reputation. Then he thought about what she’d said, and scowled.   
  
“Sorry to waste your time, but I’m not interested,” he told her shortly. “There’s no point trying to convince me.”  
  
*  
  
“… which she seemed to realise, because she gave up and left after that.” As he spoke, Harry jabbed his wand at the dinner plates, stacking them into a pile, and sent them floating through to the kitchen. It was Friday night, and Ron and Hermione were round for dinner. Even though he’d been at work all day, Harry still enjoyed cooking for his wife and friends. The children were asleep, they had a good bottle of wine (mostly empty, by now), the candles were lit (the softer lighting doing a fair job of disguising the untidy house) and they were now all pleasantly full and content, as Harry caught Ron and Hermione up on his unwelcome visitor.   
  
“She sounds awful,” Hermione said at once. “Honestly, why can’t they just let you get on with your life?”  
  
“I dunno,” said Ron, and the other three turned to look at him in surprise. “I reckon you should do it, just for the look on their face when they realise it’s a really boring feature. ‘ _So, Harry, how has life changed for you?’ ‘Well, it’s pretty much the same really, except instead of killing Dark wizards, I do the crossword and go to bed at nine o’clock.’”_

Harry and Hermione laughed, but Ginny sat up straighter in her seat, looking very serious. “Ron! That’s a  _brilliant_ idea.”  
  
“Obviously –”  
  
“You’re not suggesting I go back to that woman and say I want to do it,” Harry interrupted, staring at his wife in disbelief.   
  
“Of course not,” said Ginny dismissively. “Do it for  _The Quibbler_. Anyone could have come up with that idea – it’s not exactly groundbreaking. I’ll write it anonymously, no one’ll know.”  
  
“You’d double-cross your own paper?” said Harry, amused.   
  
“I’m not a saint, Harry,” said Ginny, already searching for something to write on. “You knew that when you married me. Ooh, I could interview myself.  _He’s not the man I married …”  
  
_ “You came up with that quote awfully quickly. Make sure you mention how badly he’s aged,” said Ron. Harry threw a used napkin at him.   
  
“I wish I could see their faces at the  _Prophet_ when they realise,” Hermione sighed happily. “Especially if you call it an exclusive with Harry Potter.”  
  
“ _And_ his closest friends and family,” Ron interjected. “I’m having my say. How about: ‘ _It used to be exciting, being friends with Harry,’ says Ron Weasley, 30’_ -”  
  
“You’re thirty one!”  
  
“They always get these things wrong though, it’ll make it look more authentic,” said Ron, unfazed. “Where was I? Oh yeah, ‘ _it used to be exciting, being friends with Harry – having adventures, nicking dragons and all that. Now all we do is sit and talk about Quidditch and the kids. I miss the old days.’_ ”  
  
“I love it,” Ginny nodded, scribbling frantically. “Very heartfelt.”  
  
“Have me gazing wistfully into the distance, too,” said Ron.   
  
Harry burst out laughing.   
  
“Is that something you’d do?”  
  
“I do it all the time,” said Ron. “Stare out of the window. Longingly. Thinking about when you were fun.”  
  
Harry put a hand on his shoulder.   
  
“I – I had no idea you felt this way. I’m sorry I’m such a disappointment -”  
  
“Don’t, Harry,” Ron whispered, his voice choked. “Just don’t.”  
  
“You two should be on the stage,” said Ginny.  
  
*  
  
Ginny worked into the night, ignoring Harry’s protestations that she should go to bed (“ _you_ go to bed!” “I don’t like going without you, it’s too cold.”) and over the weekend, disappearing frequently to interview ‘sources’, and by Monday morning, she had produced an article that made Harry spit out his tea when he read it over breakfast.   
  
“You’re a genius,” he told his wife reverently. “They’ll  _hate_ it.”  
  
“It was Ron’s idea,” she shrugged. “And to be honest, I didn’t have to make that much up. Turns out you really are the most boring wizard in Britain.”  
  
“I’ll take that title over  _the Chosen One_ any day,” said Harry wryly. He watched Ginny pen an accompanying letter to Xeno Lovegood; she was fairly confident that he would publish the article without question (“he owes you, after all,” she said darkly). 

“You know, I think it would actually please my mum and dad to know I was marking their anniversary like this,” he said. “I reckon they’d find it pretty funny …”  
  
**_THE MAN BEHIND THE MYSTERY_**  
  
**_Harry Potter’s life was marred by drama and tragedy at the age of one as his family was torn apart at the hands of Lord Voldemort’s brutal attack. The sole survivor, Potter became famous. He would go on to face Lord Voldemort on multiple occasions, until their final encounter, from which Potter emerged the victor for good. He then joined the Auror Department, of which he became Head four years ago. Notoriously publicity-shy, however, Potter’s personal life has remained the subject of question and intrigue. Now, thirty years after his first dance with danger,_ The Quibbler  _can exclusively reveal the answer to the much-asked question: who is Harry Potter now? Is he still the daring and reckless hero who so often risked his own life? Or is he, in fact, nothing more than a Ministry employee; a father and husband; a regular man?_  
  
Family and friends are the first to admit that Potter has changed significantly since his turbulent youth.   
  
“Well, I definitely wouldn’t call him ‘daring and reckless’ any more,” chortles Neville Longbottom, 31, a long-standing friend of Potter’s and fellow war hero. “We often meet for a cup of tea. He’s got quite into gardening, so we have a nice chat about that.”  
  
Ronald Weasley, Potter’s closest confidante, even expresses resentment at the change in his best friend.  
  
“It used to be exciting, being friends with Harry,” says Weasley, 33, gazing wistfully into the distance. “Having adventures, nicking dragons and all that. Now all we do is sit and talk about Quidditch and the kids. I miss the old days.”  
**

**“I wouldn’t say he’s boring, exactly,” says Ministry hotshot Hermione Granger, whose relationship with Potter has led to much speculation over the years. She pauses. “Well. I suppose … he is quite boring.”  
  
Potter himself, unsurprisingly recalcitrant on the subject, can only protest weakly to the contrary.   
  
“I have a quiet life, and I like it that way,” he tells the Quibbler in an exclusive one-to-one, which is too dull to print in its entirety. “All that running around, fighting evil … it wasn’t really me. I think it’s much better that way.”  
  
But clearly not all are in agreement. Potter’s transformation from dashing and dynamic daredevil to mundane stick-in-the-mud has been hardest on wife Ginevra, who gave up a dazzling Quidditch career to raise their three children.   
  
“He’s not the man I married,” she confesses, bravely holding back tears. “It used to be wild and exciting with Harry … we’d have so much fun. Where did that go? What happened?”  
  
And what did happen to the boy hero who lived so dangerously on the edge? Was the turmoil of his adolescence enough to drive him to banality? Or was he simply never that interesting in the first place? The Quibbler asks why the world is so intrigued by this man, who allegedly spends his weekends doing the crossword, before retiring early to bed. Is there any point in continuing to avidly follow Harry Potter’s life? Perhaps we should accept – as he clearly has – that the hero as we once knew him is no more.  
**


End file.
